Draft-regulator.



S. E. BURKE. DRAFT REGULATOR. APPLICATION FILED mm: 9, 1914.

Patented M21129, 1915.

Witnesses Inventor by W I M Attorneys "HE NORRIS PETERSCO" PHOTO-LITHOU WASHINLnvm. 1.: CV

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S'JZEPiI-IEN E. BURKE, OF HAMILTON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 JONAS ALLAMONG, OF HAMILTON, INDIANA.

DRAFT-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Application filed June 9, 1914. Serial No. 844,069.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN E. BURKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, in the county of Steuben and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Draft-Regulator, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to a draft regulator for the boilers of locomotive, traction, and similar engines, and aims to provide novel and improved means for automatically checking or retarding the draft through the fiues, when the door of the fire box is opened, and to thereby avoid the contraction of the flues and crown sheet incident to the sudden influx of cold air as is the case in ordinary engines. 7

The present invention contemplates the provision of an air inlet pipe carried by the boiler shell and cooperating with the exhaust or discharge pipe for the steam which projects toward the smoke stack, as usual, for ordinarily creating a forced draft, in combination with unique means for opening the passage through the said air pipe when the coal door of the fire box is opened, and for ordinarily closing the passage through. the said air pipe when the said door is closed.

Another object of the present invention is to so arrange the air inlet pipe, that it will cooperate with the steam exhaust pipe, in a thoroughly eflicient manner for the intended purposes.

It is also within the scope of the present invention, to provide an appliance of the nature indicated, which will be comparatively simple, and inexpensive in construction, which may be readily applied to existing or ordinary boilers as well as new ones, and which will be convenient, practical and efiicient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides'in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of'what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The present invention has been illustrated in its preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive or traction boiler having-the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, there is illustrated an ordinary locomotive or traction engine boiler, including the shell 1, having the fire box 2 at its rear end, and the fire box having the rear coal door 3. The boiler shell 1 is provided with the smoke stack 4c'at its forward end, as usual, and the lines 5 establish communication between the fire box 2 and the discharge chamber or compartment 5 within the forward end of the boiler shell 1 and communicating with thesmoke stack 4. The steam exhaust pipe 6 projects upwardly within the chamber or compartment 5 toward the smoke stack 4:, in order that the steam in being exhausted, will create a forced draft through the fiues 5', as usual. The foregoing structure is a typical one, it being understood, at the outset, that the present invention is applicable to various locomotive, traction and portable boilers, with equal propriety and success, as will be obviousto those skilled in the art.

In carrying out the present invention, an air inlet pipe 7 is disposed within the chamber the pipe 7 being preferably curved or arcuate, and having one end attached interiorly toone side of the shell 1, while the other end of the pipe 7 projects upwardly in advance of and directly adjacent the nozzle end of the exhaust pipe 6, or' at that side of the exhaust pipe 6 remote from the fiues 5. The upper end of the pipe 7 which projects above the upper or nozzle end of the exhaust pipe 6, is cut obliquely or diagonally, as at 8, so as to liedirectly to one side of the current or stream of steam passing from the exhaust pipe 6 to the stack 4.

As a means for controlling the flow of air through the air pipe 7, a longitudinal shaft 9 is disposed along one side of the boiler, and its forward end portion is journaled through a pair of bearingslO secured totho side of the shell 1 directly in rear and in advance of theouter end of the pipe 7. A.

valve 11 is secured to the forward end portion. of the shaft 9 between the bearings 10, and is adapted to swing snugly against the side of the shell 1, over the mouth or inlet end of the pipe 7, to close and open the same, or to control the inlet of air thereinto. The rear end portion of the shaft 9 is Ournaled through bearings 13 attached to the corresponding side of the fire box 2, and

when the shaft 9 cannot be straight, the same is rendered flexible by universal joints 9*, as will be obvious.

As a means for automatically actuating the shaft 9, to close and open the valve 11, when the coal door 3 is closed and opened, respectively, the rear end of the shaft 9 is operatively connected to the door 3, as will presently appear. A'plate or disk 14 is secured rigidly upon the rear end portion of the shaft 9, and a lever 15 is journaled or fulcrumed intermediate its ends upon the rear end of the said shaft adjacent the plate or disk 14. A link 16 connects. the lower end or arm of the lever 15 and the coal door 3, whereby the lever 15 will be oscillated when the door'3 is opened and closed. The upper end or arm of the lever 15 is adapted to engage the stationary lug or pin 17 secured to the plate or disk 14, whereby when the door 3 is closed,'to swing the lower arm of the lever 15 therewith, the upper arm of the said lever in engaging the lug 17 will swing the plate or disk 14 to thereby correspondingly swing the shaft 9 to bring the valve or shutter 11 to closed position. In this manner, when the door 3 is closed, the valve or shutter 11 will be closed, to shut 0d the inlet of air into the pipe 7, and consequently, the forced draft will be established through the tines 5, under ordinary conditions. The plate or disk 14 is also provided with an arcuate series of apertures 18, cooperating with the lower arm of the lever 15, and through which is adjustably insertible, a cotter pin 19. This pin 19 may be adjusted, as seen in Fig. 2, to hold the upper arm of the lever 15 permanently against the lug or stud 17 whereby the plate or disk 14 will be constrained to swing with the lever;

15, and consequently, the valve 11 in this event, will swing open and close with the door 3. The pin 19, however, may be adjusted along. the apertures 18, to permit a limited oscillatory movement of the lever 15 with respect to the plate or disk 14, whereby the plate or disk 14 will not be swung when the door 3 is opened, until the door has opened-1a predetermined amount.

It is also possible to entirely remove the pin 19, or to adjustit at sucha point remote from the lever 15, as to prevent the plate or disk 14 from being oscillated when thecoal door 3 is opened. I

In operation, when the device has been properly installed,:and assuming the=pin 19 I to have been set as seen in Fig. 2, then, when the coal door 3-is opened, which with the continued forced draft, would cause a sud-.

den influx of cold air into the fines 5, will.

rock the shaft 9 to open the valve 11. Then, the steam being discharged from the ex-v haust pipe or nozzle 6, past the end 8 of the 7 air pipe 7 will cause the air to be drawn through the pipe 7 from theatmosphereyto reduce or check the draft through the fines 5, and consequently, the forced draft will be retarded and this will reduce to a minimum, the inflow of cold air intothe fiues, which would be liable to contractthe same. The present device therefore avoids the contraction of the fines, when the coal door 3 is open, and as not infrequently results in; leakage, and furthermore, the consumption of fuel is economized,due to the checking of the draft when the coal door is opened.

When the coal door 3 is again closed, the shaft 9 being oscillated back to initial position, will again close thevalve or shutter 11 to close the passage through the pipe7,

and as a result, the forced draft will. be resumed.

It is evident from the foregoing, taken in communication with the drawing, thatwhenthe door 3 is opened, the lower arm of the lever 15 will be swung outwardly, to engagethe pin 19, so as to swingthe plate or disk 14 with the lever, the plate 14 being secured upon the shaft 9 will swing the shaft therewith to open the valve 11. Conversely,

when the door 3 is swung to closed position,

the link 16 will pullithe lower arm of the le ver 15 inwardly, and the upper arm of thesaid lever being engaged with the-stud 0r lug 17 will bring the plate or disk 14 back to normal position, to close the valve 11. When the pin 19 is adjusted to permit, a limited movement of the lever 15 with :re

spect to the plate 14,the upper arm of thelever 15 will still engage the-lug, 17, when the door 3 is closed, but the door 3 must first be opened. to a predetermined amount before the valve 11 is opened. In this manner, the. amount to which-the valve 11 is openedgmayl 14 or its shaft 9; This is of advantage for;

the reason that'when the engine is fired" to raise steam, it is desirable that the forced draft be continued, even while the door 3 is opened. As soon as the steam pressure rises sufficiently, the pin 19 may be adjusted, so as to cause the plate 14 to be oscillated when the door 3 is opened and closed, for the purpose of opening and closing the valve 11 as above described.

An important and salient feature of the present invention, resides in the arrangement of the air pipe 7 within the chamber 5 whereby when the passage through the pipe 7 is opened, the reaction caused by the suction of air through the pipe 7 when the steam is exhausted, will tend to counteract the draft through the fiues 5, or will create a back pressure which will reduce the draft to a minimum. The nozzle end of the pipe 7 is disposed in advance of the, nozzle end of the exhaust pipe 6, to provide the said function, and furthermore, there will be no interference with the vacuum created by the exhausting steam, under ordinary conditions, when the passage through the air pipe is closed.

The present device is a comparatively simple and inexpensive one, and may be readily installed upon various locomotives and traction engines, to operate successfully for the purposes intended, and furthermore, the device is of such construction as to operate under various atmospheric conditions without the liability of the impairment of the device due to exposure.

It has been found that with ordinary boilers, when the coal door is opened, the steam pressure will fall off from five to ten pounds, which results in a waste of fuel, but with the present device, this waste of fuel will be reduced to a minimum, or entirely eliminated.

Having thus described the invention, what 40 isclaimed as new is:

1. The combination with a boiler including a shell having a discharge chamber, flues leading to the said chamber, a stack communicating with the said chamber, and an exhaust pipe projecting within the said chamber and having its nozzle end projecting toward the said stack, of an air inlet pipe communicating with the atmosphere and projecting into the said chamber, the discharge end of the air pipe projecting above and directly adjacent the nozzle end of the exhaust pipe, being cut obliquely, and being disposed at that side of the exhaust pipe remote from the fines, and means for controlling the inlet of air into the air pipe.

2. The combination with a boiler including a fire box door, and an exhaust pipe for creating a forced draft, of an air inlet pipe cooperating with the said exhaust pipe, a shaft, a valve adapted to be actuated by the shaft for controlling the inlet of air into the said pipe, a lever mounted loosely upon I the said shaft, a link connecting the lever and door, a plate secured rigidly upon the shaft adjacent the said lever, and a pair of pins carried by the said plate and adapted to be engaged by the said lever when it is swung, one of the said pins being adjustable to regulate the amount to which the valve is opened when the door is opened.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN E. BURKE. Witnesses:

E. J. HOWARD, WILLIAM RENNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G." 

